


Protector

by Uniasus



Series: Defender [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen, Protective!Merlin, Season/Series 01, sneaky magic use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 08:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7969165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uniasus/pseuds/Uniasus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can take the washing,” Randell said.<br/>“Thanks.” Merlin handed it over.<br/>“Least I can do.” The other servant shifted his weight. “Most others would have bowed and walked out.”<br/>“Most others don't have my skills. I can protect myself better than anyone in the castle. Even Arthur.”<br/>“No one is better than the Prince.”<br/>“Lies. Because he's the Prince, I let him think that.”<br/>Randall's eyes trailed disbelievingly to the blood on Merlin’s face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protector

**Author's Note:**

> I guess you could say this is loosely related to Defender, but it's not a necessary first read. These two stories are connected by the theme/idea that Merlin's unique talents (and position) allows him to help prevent servant abuse, as opposed to all the fics out there where he takes it. If anyone has any situations requests/ideas around the idea, let me know. Maybe I'll write them.

Merlin tried, as an experiment, to see how long he could go without using magic in Camelot. For safety.

He managed almost a full day.

It had itched under his skin, begging to be let out, and the result was Arthur’s bed suddenly making itself and the clothes in the wardrobe rearranging themselves by color. It was a miracle he was alone in the prince’s chambers when his burst of accidental magic happened.

He needed a safe outlet, and the physician's chambers didn’t count. Gaius always frowned if he used magic when it wasn’t necessary, and he was mildly concerned about the effect of magic on some of his tonics and herbs.

Needless to say, Merlin’s bursts of magic were small and only carried out after much head turning and ensuring that he was alone and unwatched.

It was very stressful and only made the buzzing of magic under his skin more tolerable. In Ealdor, he had used magic much more freely. It had disturbed most of the villagers, magic that is, but it was hard to tell an infant to stop using it and so they had grudgingly accepted it. Some went beyond and sought Merlin out for help. Magic made it easier, and often times safer, to get things done.

From spell freedom to spell restraint was hard - what was his mum thinking sending him here to Camelot - but he did his best.

Until his magic snapped out of control in front of someone who could have him burned.

There had been a noise from one of the rooms Merlin knew was scheduled to be cleaned out. Three new men were being knighted tomorrow, and three new rooms in the castle were being prepared for them. Merlin knew this, but wasn’t conscripted to help. That didn’t mean he could ignore the large crash. He pushed the door, ready to offer his assistance. 

He expected to find someone cleaning up spilled candle stands or something similar. Instead he saw a boy maybe a year younger than him on the floor, a fallen chair next to him, and a knight above him preparing for what Merlin would guess was a second kick to the ribs.

Merlin’s magic snapped, rattling the windows and managing to push the boy an inch to safety before Merlin choked off his power.

Both of them turned to look at Merlin, who put on a wide grin.

The boy was wide-eyed, terrified, but his look turned hopeful. The knight wobbled as he balanced on one foot, quickly steadied himself, and gave Merlin a glare that could crumble stone.

“What are you doing here?” the knight snarled.

“Looking for Randall.” Merlin gestured to the boy. He wasn’t sure that actually was his name, but Merlin knew it started with an ‘R’.

Merlin walked around the small table, ignoring the knight to help the other servant to his feet. “George  was looking for you. He needs help with the king’s chambers.”

“And then who will help me, then?” the knight asked.

“I will,” Merlin replied as he led the boy to the door. He wavered in the doorway, freedom at Merlin’s expense on one side, potential further pain on the other. Merlin gave him a small push and the boy hurried out into the hall.

Merlin set about righting the fallen furniture. The knight watched him and when Merlin reached the chair near his feet, the man snapped out his hand to capture Merlin’s wrist.

It didn’t take much effort to fling Merlin at the wall. He hit it face first, his nose crunching. Not broken, but definitely bleeding. 

“You obviously wanted to take that boy’s place, so I'll give you double. His share, and yours.”

Merlin pushed himself up, pressing his back into the wall. Head down, hiding his eyes, he used magic to slide the chair into the knight’s path. The man tripped spectacularly, cracking his head on the cobblestones, and an extra bit of magic made sure he was out cold.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin pinched his nose and stuck out his neck to stop the bleeding. He stepped over the knight, ignoring the blood dripping onto the other man’s hand, and quickly set the room to right. Furniture in place, Merlin continued to clean out the room. He opened windows, stripped the bed, put on the new linens sitting in the basket near the door, dusted the wardrobe, and beat the drapes.

Through it all, the knight laid there.

Merlin thought about moving him, but didn't. The knight would wake up in his own time. Giving the room one last look, Merlin gathered up ‘Randell’’s tools, and the dirty laundry, and left. 

Randell was two corridors over. When he caught sight of Merlin, he paled, and Merlin was acutely aware of the dried blood on his face and clothes.

“I can take the washing,” Randell said, holding his arms out for the basket.

“Thanks.” Merlin handed it over, his smile pulling at the dried blood on his upper lip.

“Least I can do.” The other servant shifted his weight. “Most others would have bowed and walked out.”

“Most others don't have my skills. I can protect myself better than anyone in the castle. Even Arthur.”

“No one is better than the Prince.”

“Lies. Because he's the Prince, I let him think that.”

Randall's eyes trailed to the blood on Merlin’s face. 

“You have to treat knights the same way. Let them think they're the best.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. And Randall-”

“Randy, actually.”

“Randy.” Merlin nodded. “Anything like this happens again, you’re scared to serve someone, or you know someone needs an intervention like what happened now, you come find me. Okay?”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay, then.”

Randy scampered off towards the laundry. Merlin headed down to the kitchens. Mary would give him a cloth to clean up with and Arthur would be pleasantly surprised to see Merlin already setting the table for lunch when he came back from council.

* * *

A knock interrupted Gaius serving porridge. Both Gaius and Merlin looked up at the girl slowly peering around the physician’s door.

Gaius set the porridge bowl on the table and gestured the maid to come in. “Amy, did you need a morning after potion?”

“No. Not today.”

Merlin gave Amy a quick glance. He recognized her from the hallways, always carrying linen. No doubt she was a chambermaid assigned to the laundry, ferring cloth to and from the tubs. Even from here Merlin could tell her hands were smooth and her cuticles not cracked.

Amy glanced back at him, wringing her hands. “You’re Merlin?”

“Yes.”

“Randy said, said you might be willing to help me.”

“Of course.” Merlin was up and around the table in a heartbeat.

Merlin ignored Gaius’s head swivel between the two servants. He'd explain later.

“What do you need?” Merlin asked.

“I, um, Tuesdays are Frédéric’s day off, so I do some of his chores. One of the, um, one of the lords,” she snuck a peek under her bangs at Gaius, “He prefers it if I, if I stay, while he has breakfast. I usually do, but…” She twisted her hands again.

Merlin frowned. He stayed sometimes to serve Arthur after breakfast, so this lord wasn't out of line asking for Amy to stay and serve him. By the way she stared at the floor, Merlin knew something else had to be going on that made her scared. What it was didn't matter. What did was that she came to him for help and the thought made his magic itch. 

He'd deliver Arthur’s plate quickly and then visit Amy’s lord.

* * *

Lord Mark, it turned out, was frisky in the mornings and didn't seem to care that Merlin was male. Merlin figured he never cared if a servant was uninterested, regardless of gender.

Merlin’s magic responded before Merlin did, tossing a goblet of watered down wine in the lord’s face. It resulted in a quick scuffle the Merlin won, ending with Mark snoring on his bed and Merlin eating the best parts of the lord’s breakfast.

He'd have to try to learn memory charms, because it would be wonderful if Lord Mark woke up thinking he decided on a post nap breakfast. 

As it was, Lord Mark remembered it all that afternoon and cornered Merlin in a hallway. Merlin knew shields, he pretended to feel every blow, but walked away with only scraped palms.

Word got around quickly, that Merlin could serve abusive masters with limited harm to himself. And as word got around the nobles that Arthur wasn’t getting rid of Merlin as a manservant anytime soon, hallway retaliations lessoned.

Gaius tutted and frowned and worried. Most of the times, Merlin used magic to placate knights and lords or one time a stall owner. It was the best reason possible to release the magic in his blood, something Gaius couldn’t outright berate him for.

Arthur, to Merlin’s surprise, didn't notice anything. Not the few new bruises he acquired or his increased workload as measured by how long Arthur had to look for him.

Protect Arthur, the dragon had told Merlin. Protecting him ensures the birth of Albion. But there would be more to Albion than her king, there would be her people. Merlin, and his magic, would keep everyone safe until the Golden Age arrived.


End file.
